The Pizza Tapes

What Is This?

The Pizza Tapes is a recording of an informal 1993 acoustic session that brought together three giants: Jerry Garcia on guitar and vocals, David Grisman on mandolin, and the flatpicking master Tony Rice on guitar. There was no plan and no setlist, just three friends running through folk, blues, and bluegrass standards, talking and laughing between songs.

It was officially released in 2000 on Grisman's Acoustic Disc label and became a word-of-mouth classic, treasured as much for the playing as for the warmth of the hang.

The Story

The story behind The Pizza Tapes is short, a little mysterious, and part of its charm.

1. 1993

   A relaxed session, no plan

   Garcia, Grisman, and Tony Rice gather in Grisman's studio for a relaxed acoustic session, with no intention of making an album, just three friends and their instruments running through the songs they loved.

2. The legend of the name

   How it got its name

   According to the well-known story among fans, a rough copy of the session escaped into circulation, and it picked up the nickname "the pizza tapes." That's the popular story behind the name, not a verified fact, but it's the one that stuck.

3. 2000

   Official release on Acoustic Disc

   Grisman officially releases the session as The Pizza Tapes on his own Acoustic Disc label, cleaning up and sequencing the recordings for the world to hear properly.

4. The legacy

   A summit of three generations

   It stands as a summit of three generations of acoustic guitar and mandolin, treasured for both the playing and the between-song banter that makes it feel like you're in the room.

Start Here

You don't need much of a runway with this record. These two tracks are the fastest way in.

The Record

This project is really one essential album, plus later expanded editions for the truly hooked. There is really only one place to go, and it is a joy front to back.

The Playlists

One curated YouTube Music playlist of the session's highlights. Hit the button to play it.

Three Masters

This is a rare meeting of three of acoustic music's finest, each at the top of his game.

• Jerry GarciaGuitar / VocalsLoose, warm, and clearly having the time of his life
• David GrismanMandolinThe host and the connective tissue, in his element
• Tony RiceGuitarThe greatest flatpicker of his generation, and the reason guitar players revere this record

Tony Rice's flatpicking lineage runs straight into today's players like Billy Strings.

The Songbook's Roots

The trio drew on the shared canon of American folk, bluegrass, and blues. Here are five of the essential names behind the songs they played that day.

Interviews

David Grisman tells the story of the session and the tapes that became legend.

Going Deeper

Once this session has you, there's a whole world of related music worth exploring.

• The expanded editions: later releases add more from the same session for the truly hooked.
• Garcia / Grisman: the duo records that surround this one, the same warm acoustic world. See Garcia / Grisman.
• Tony Rice: dig into his own catalogue, especially "Manzanita," and the flatpicking lineage he carried from Clarence White forward.
• The other Garcia projects: his solo albums and the Jerry Garcia Band. See Jerry Garcia and Jerry Garcia Band.